For daily wit & wisdom, get the Almanac newsletter.

Tomato Hornworms: How to Identify, Control, and Prevent Them

Image Credit:
Amanda Hill
Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Big, green, and hungry—tomato hornworms can wipe out your tomato crop almost overnight. These giant caterpillars love to feast on tomato leaves and fruit, and they won’t stop there. Peppers, eggplants, and potatoes are also on their menu.

”This one is nobody’s friend if you’re a gardener and like to grow tomatoes,” says entomologist Jeff Smith, curator of the Bohart Museum of Entomology’s Lepidoptera collection.

The good news is that these pests are easy to spot once you know what to look for, and they can be controlled without resorting to harsh chemicals. In this guide, learn how to identify tomato hornworms, understand their life cycle, and discover effective natural ways to get rid of them—plus tips to keep them from coming back next year.

🐛 Hornworms munching your tomatoes? Our Almanac Garden Club members get exclusive pest guides, expert webinars, and practical tips to protect their crops. Protect Your Garden Now.

What Are Tomato Hornworms?

If you’ve ever walked out to your tomato plants and found bare stems where lush foliage used to be, chances are hornworms were at work.

  • The tomato hornworm (Manduca quinquemaculata) and the closely related tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta) are garden pests found throughout most of the U.S. and southern Canada.
  • Both species feed on plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae): tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, tobacco, and potatoes.
  • Because of their size and appetite, a small number of hornworms can defoliate plants quickly.

These pests are the larval stage of large night-flying moths (sphinx or hawk moths).

Tomato Hornworm crawling on a tomato vine.
Tomato troublemaker in action—meet the tomato hornworm! Photo by Amanda Hill.

Identification

How to Identify Tomato Hornworms

Look for big, green worms on tomato plants! Hornworms are some of the largest caterpillars in the garden. Key features include:

  • Color: Pale green with V-shaped white markings along the body
  • Horn: Dark, pointed “horn” protruding from the rear
  • Camouflage: Blends almost perfectly with tomato leaves, making them tricky to spot
  • Size: Can reach up to 4–5 inches in length

Tip: Inspect your tomato plants daily. Check the undersides of leaves for eggs and watch for early signs of feeding damage.

Tomato Hornworm vs. Tobacco Hornworm

Both species damage tomato plants, but here’s how to tell them apart:

  • Tomato hornworm: White V-shaped markings; black horn
  • Tobacco hornworm: Diagonal white stripes with black spots; red horn
tobacco hornworm
Can you tell which hornworm this is? 
(It’s a tobacco hornworm! Notice the white stripes with dotted black lines and a red “horn.”) 

Signs of Tomato Hornworm Damage

  • Chewed or missing leaves, often starting at the top of the plant
  • Wilted stems and bare stalks
  • Dark green droppings (frass) on leaves or soil
  • Chewed fruit and sunscald on tomatoes (caused by loss of leaf cover)

Tomato Hornworm Life Cycle

Understanding the life cycle helps you prevent infestations:

  1. Eggs: Laid on undersides of leaves in late spring; hatch within 1 week
  2. Larvae (hornworms): Feed heavily for 3–4 weeks
  3. Pupae: Burrow into soil to overwinter in a cocoon
  4. Adult moths: Five-spotted hawk moths emerge in spring to repeat the cycle

In warmer regions, there may be two generations per year.

Tomato hornworm moth (female)
Tomato hornworm moth (female). Look out for the moths in late spring. Photo by Didier Descouens/Wikimedia Commons.

Control and Prevention

How to Get Rid of Tomato Hornworms

1. Handpicking

  • The most effective method for small gardens:
  • Check plants daily and remove caterpillars by hand
  • Drop them in soapy water, or feed them to backyard chickens

2. Use Organic Controls

  • Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt): A safe, natural bacterium that kills young caterpillars (must be ingested).
  • Neem oil or insecticidal soap: Can work on small caterpillars, but less effective on large hornworms

3. Encourage Natural Predators

  • Parasitic wasps lay eggs on hornworms (you may see white cocoons attached)
  • Ladybugs, green lacewings, and birds also feed on eggs and larvae

If you find a hornworm covered with white cocoons, leave it—the wasps will do the control work for you

A tobacco hornworm covered with parasitic wasp eggs.
Nature’s drama! A tobacco hornworm becomes a nursery for parasitic wasps.

How to Prevent Hornworm Infestations

  • Till soil in fall or spring to destroy overwintering pupae (up to 90% mortality)
  • Rotate crops—avoid planting tomatoes in the same spot year after year
  • Use companion planting: Interplant dill or basil to deter pests; plant marigolds at borders
  • Attract  beneficial insects  by planting nectar-rich flowers

Frequently Asked Questions

Do tomato hornworms bite?
No. They look intimidating, but they cannot sting or bite humans.

What does a tomato hornworm turn into?
A large five-spotted hawk moth, also called a sphinx or hummingbird moth.

When do tomato hornworms appear?
Eggs are laid in late spring, and larvae are most destructive from June through August.

Can tomato hornworms eat other plants?
Yes. They also feed on peppers, potatoes, eggplants, and tobacco.

More Help for Gardeners: See our Garden Pest and Disease Library for tips on other common problems.

Do you have tomato hornworms? How do you handle them in the garden?

Garden Pests

About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana.

Read more from Catherine Boeckmann

More Like This

Comments

<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Wed, 07/18/2012 - 20:57
Yes, but don't overdo it. A few drops in a LOT of water. Specifically: Mix 1 teaspoon of clear liquid dish soap in 1 quart of water to make an insecticidal soap. Spray just when you need it--and spray in early morning or late evening-or it will burn your plants.
<span>Louise Sargent</span> Fri, 05/23/2014 - 11:57
Last year I had eight large hornworms on two small container tomato plants. This year I am going to try diatomaceous earth. I have read that it destroys the insides of the worms. It has to be dry to be effective, dust it on the plant and soil. It is organic and harmless to pets and humans.
<span>Kevkat</span> Sun, 07/01/2012 - 16:30
I prefer Seven and old fashioned hand pluckn to remove those sob's. So best of luck in your garden.
<span>Baumgarten</span> Mon, 06/11/2012 - 20:06
I decided to plant dill between my tomatoes this year and while the worms are back, they seem to like climbing the dill more and are much easier to spot. I have tried most methods for ridding my garden of them but being diligent and hand picking them works best. Get a good flashlight and go out a few hours after the sun has gone down. Best of luck!
<span>Bjl</span> Thu, 04/12/2012 - 20:01
I have green worms that eat everything in the garden, veggies and flower leaves. They especially like morning glory leaves. They are not tomato hornworms. There is no horn, what are they and how do I get rid of them?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 04/17/2012 - 11:14
We believe that you have an inch worm problem. You can try to spray with horticultural oils or use Bacillus thuringiensis, a wilt pathogen that is only toxic to insects.
<span>Ron G</span> Tue, 03/27/2012 - 16:28
Kill two birds with one stone.....with each tomato plant you plant, also plant a basil plant about a foot away. You will not see a horn worm all season and you will always have fresh basil....learned this from grandmother over 50 years ago. Been doing it all my life...trust me it works
<span>Daixy</span> Sun, 03/15/2015 - 15:21
Considering that I do not have tomatoes in my yard; I'm growing three different varieties of basil and hoping to sell them in my local farmers' market, and the hornworms are decimating my basil bushes, I think we can re-evaluate this particular notion of companion planting. I had aphids in my basil, whiteflies too....got rid of them with daily spray of organic soap and weekly neem oil treatment. Both of these I do as early in the morning as possible so the plants don't "cook". The hornworms are a most unwelcome surprise that I'm going to deal with by handpicking. I'm going to try woodash on a section and see if that helps. Fingers crossed PS. Not trying to discredit you, but I suspect there is something in addition to your basil (maybe wasps or assassin bugs) that's keeping the bugs off your tomatoes. Wish all were as lucky as you and that your luck never wavers.
<span>Suzo92</span> Tue, 05/22/2012 - 11:24
Sorry guys, but I have marigolds and basil in the same pot as the worms. That is not working.
<span>Betsy</span> Mon, 02/18/2013 - 16:25
same here had both marigold and basil planted right under and next to my cherry tomato plants and my plants were destroyed.. help please i have gone out to my raised beds last week as i had some radishes planted there last fall and picked some ,and found live hornworms right under the surface of the soil,this is Feb. and the soil is frozen...what do i do before planting comes